How to choose a good Domain Registrar

Many individuals and businesses select their domain registrars based on their popularity and/or professional appearance of the registrars website. What these people tend to forget is that these top registrars often pose the biggest problems for your domain registration and ownership.

People vying for online presence often overlook one of the most important aspect of online security – keeping your domain name under your control. A website that is offline due to DNS resolution issues or a domain that is hijacked by the domain registrar can prove fatal to a business survival or harm the name and its future existence online. Some pointers that will help you minimize these issues are:

1. Ensure that you choose a registrar that is reputable. Do not confuse reputability with popularity! While Godaddy.com is undoubtedly the biggest domain registrar, it is notorious for poor customer relations.  A good domain registrar will advise and warn you of possible trademark infringements or registration problems and will not demand costly ransom to release you of possible disputes.

2. Some domain registrars have been known to lock domain names when customers are searching for it; thus “forcing” customers to register the domains with them. This is known as domain squatting and Network Solutions had been caught attempting to do just this. Businesses and people who usually do not possess the technical knowledge of  the domain registration process fall for this trap and are victimized by the cheating domain registrars.

3. Unless you are absolutely sure of staying with your Web Hosting Provider forever, do not take up any “free domain registration” offer from them. The ultimate aim of any Web Host is to retain its customer base and this may force them to use aggressive tactics. Some single entity web hosts and domain registrars are known to lock up your domain name and prevent it from being transferred to any other registrar. If you switch hosts, you simply have to relinquish your domain name. Choose your domain registrar and Web Hosts who are totally different entities.

4. Check the Privacy Policy of the registrar. Look out for promises and adherence to protecting your privacy online and their policies on DMCA take down notices, subpoenas, etc. Also keep a lookout for your own personal privacy online. Some domain registrars offer Who-is Privacy Protection Services for free. This is a plus for anyone who is concerned about his/her privacy online.

5. The most important of all; read the fine prints!!! This is something we always ignore…while purchasing a product, installing a software or in this case, registering a domain. This is human nature. We place a level of trust on our supplier to honor the unwritten codes of etiquette and this is what some domain registrars capitalize on to screw their customers in future. I had fallen in this trap whereby this registrar (name withheld) I was a customer off had a clause where it could take ownership of the domain name at any time without a logical reason or explanation. Just one week after registration of my domain name, the company took ownership of the name. Being low on capital to defend this case, I was left high and dry. I learnt my lesson..the hard way.

Have you ever been victimized by any domain registrar? Share your stories via comments and lets make the public aware of the risks of choosing a wrong company to register your domains…

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